A Guest in the manor
by kamefootninja
Summary: When Adeline Wilson drops off her young son at the Wayne manor for his own protection, Dick Grayson tries to make friends with their new guest.
1. Joseph Arrives

They didn't have any warning. No one was asked or informed ahead of time. It all was sprang on them rather suddenly on a seemingly normal afternoon.

Dick Grayson, ward of the billionaire Bruce Wayne during the day, and Robin the boy wonder by night, had come home from school one day as normal. Only to find a few small suitcases in the hallway and a stern looking woman thanking Bruce as she walked past, not paying any attention to the preteen in the doorway, looking for all the world like a woman on a mission. She looked familiar to him, but he couldn't place why, Perhaps she was a business partner of Bruces?

He didn't have to wait long to find out. Almost as soon as the woman was out of earshot Alfred was next to the curious boy to welcome him home and take his coat.

"That was Adeline Wilson. Master Bruce has worked with her in the past with some of his…. After dark activities." Which was clearly code that Bruce had used her to aid the batman. "She's asked him to do her a favour." The butler explained calmly without having to be asked. "It seems her son will be our guest for a few days."

Leaning into the doorway to get a better look at their supposed guest, Dick was surprised to see Bruce knelt down and talking softly to a young boy. The boy couldn't have been much younger than Dick himself, but he seemed so small, curled up into the arm of the sofa, messy blond hair covering his face as he listened to the billionaire trying to assure him that he was safe here. But Dick didn't want to intrude, his curiosity could wait for now until the kid calmed down and had got settled in. He remembered how overwhelming this place could be the first time you come here, and the blond looked shaken enough with just Bruce there with him, too many people might not help the situation.

Deciding that his mentor had this under control and he would only be in the way, Dick excused himself and went to the kitchen to work on homework until they were ready to introduce the two of them. But he was curious why the blond boy was here. He wasn't an orphan boy who needed help like he had been, the boys mother had just dropped him off, and he doubted that someone would just choose Bruce Wayne of all people to babysit for them if it wasn't a question of security or secrecy. Either way, he'd never had another kid his age staying in the manor. Would he be here long enough to become a friend? Or would he not want to talk to to him?

Hearing movement from the other room, Dick looked up from his book in time to see Alfred picking up the suitcases from the hallway, ready to take them up to one of the guest rooms. "Hey Al, let me help you with those!" Before the old butler could argue, the young acrobat was already in the hallway with one of the bigger cases in his hand.

"Very well, master Dick… Joseph, Dick Grayson here is Bruce's young ward, I'm sure you'll be seeing plenty of each other during your stay here." There was a knowing softness in the butlers words, like he was secretly glad Dick decided to introduce himself instead of staying away. There didn't look like there was too much of an age gap between them, asides from the obvious size difference, and Alfred was sure that having someone his own age to be around might be good for the scared boy who they had to protect. And it wouldn't hurt for Dick to be around someone his own age either.

The blond was taken by surprise, but he didn't react much, just nodded in acknowledgment and continued to silently follow Alfred, and now Dick, up the grand staircase to the room he'd be staying. He didn't say a word, barely looked up, and seemed very withdrawn, like he didn't want to draw attention to himself. He seemed shy, but there was more than that, not just afraid or awkward, he looked like he was lost in his own mind.

"Do you require any other assistance master Joseph?" Again he seemed surprised as Alfred words pulled him out of wherever he had been in his mind, but smiled and shook his head, wordlessly denying any help.

Dick Grayson watched as Alfred dismissed himself, giving him a smile and nod as he passed, as if giving permission, or encouraging him to break the ice and go to talk to Joseph. Which he did as soon as they were alone in the guest bedroom.

"Hey, you need any help unpacking?" It was a good ice breaker, placing the larger case down near the bed where the blond had sat down after drawing the curtains, even though it was still light outside. But the only answer he got was a kind, sad smile and a shake of the boys head, he didn't need any help.

"You sure? Maybe i could give you a tour around the manor then? Even I still get lost sometimes." But once again the boy just smiled, shook his head, and seemed to ignore him. Stretching and yawning like he was tired, but his body language was slightly off. The few years he'd trained under batman give Dick enough of an understanding to tell when someone was faking, the boy didn't seem tired, but if he wanted him to leave then why didn't he just so?

"You just want me to shut up and leave you alone don't you?" He didn't mean to accuse him, his voice was light and more amused than anything. But the sheepish look on Joseph's face as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, told Dick that he knew he'd been found out.

Something about the boy seemed to be urging Dick not to question him, or think less of him, that he just wanted to be alone. And without knowing why he was here, Dick felt bad if he come across as pushy or like he was trying to overcrowded quiet the young boy.

With a sigh Dick held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, I can tell when I'm not needed." again he noticed the look on Joey's face, like he wanted to apologize and explain something, but couldn't bring himself to form the words.

"If you need anything, then my rooms 5 doors down on the opposite side of the corridor." He had to offer, just incase something happened or the boy did get himself lost in the manor. He doubted that he'd be going out with batman tonight unless there was a sudden emergency.

Dick waited for a few moments to see if the blond would say anything, but all he did was nod, and keep staring, like he just wanted the other boy to leave him alone. So the young Robin left, shutting the door on his way out, and headed down to fit in some training before finding out if Bruce needed him on patrol tonight.


	2. Breakfast and progress

It had been two days since Joseph arrived at the manor, and in that time him and Dick had barely been in the same room.

The blond would get up early for breakfast, then retreat back to his room for the rest of the day, maybe popping his head back out when Alfred insisted him coming down for dinner. Even when they did sit in the same room together, Joseph would either have headphones on, or have his head down in the sketchbook he seemed to carry at all times.

Which was why Dick wasn't surprised when he came down for breakfast and saw their guest gently bobbing his head to some music in his ear, while sketching between bites of the blueberry pancakes Alfred had made for them.

One thing that was odd about the boy, was that he always seemed the wear a light blue scarf around him, even when he was dressed in his pajamas. It was the end of spring and the weather was getting warmer, so it wasn't because he was cold. Maybe there was some sentimental reason behind it, but if not then Dick had no idea why he was never seen without it.

"Morning Al." Dick greeted the butler happily as he took his own seat for breakfast. No surprise Bruce wasn't joining them today, it was rare to see him this early unless he had a meeting at Wayne Enterprises. "Morning Joseph." He didn't expect a reply really, but it was only polite.

To his surprise Joseph actually looked up and smiled, but didn't say it back or reply in any other way, other than to give a nod of acknowledgment before looking back down at his sketch pad.

The rest of breakfast was pretty uneventful for them. They ate their food in silence, Joseph listening to his music, and Dick watching Alfred cleaning up and prepare a tray to take up to Bruce to wake him up.

Once Joseph finished he got up and swilled his plate in the sink before putting it in the dishwasher, despite Alfred telling him that he would take care of it. But before he could disappear again, the butler stopped him to hand the confused young boy a steaming cup with a soft smile. "Honey and Lemon tea. The best thing for a bad throat."

The boy looked startled, before his face broke out in a big greatful smile. Then he made some sort for hand gesture that Dick couldn't quite see or make out. It almost looked like he blow the butler an air kiss? Before he seemed to decide that he should sit in the living room to drink his tea, which was better than him trying to take the hot cup up the stairs.

As soon as Joseph was out of the room Dick turned to Alfred with a sigh. "I don't think he likes me, Al." He'd smiled and acknowledged him, but never said a word to him. And they hadn't gone out of their way to spend time together in the whole two days since he was dropped off by his mother.

"And what would give you that impression Master Dick?" Alfred seemed more amused at the suggestion than anything else. As if he saw something obvious that the young ward was missing.

"He's been giving me the silent treatment. Every time I try to talk to him, he either ignores me or makes an excuse to leave." Like how he'd faked being tired when he arrived just so that Dick would leave him alone.

Alfred sighed, putting down the glass he was cleaning to turn and look directly at the dark haired boy. "Don't be so quick to judge the boy. He's been through a lot. His life has been turned upside down, which is why he's here with us until things settle down at home for him. Try to remember what it was like for you when you came to us. A young boy, in this big house with people who are still strangers to him."

When Alfred put it that way, he couldn't blame Joseph for keeping to himself. They were as much strangers to him as he was to them, and he probably didn't feel comfortable enough to try and make friends on his own. "How is it you always know the right thing to say?" Dick could see by Alfred expression that the butler knew it was a talent he had. "I, just kind of figured he'd been avoiding me, like he hates me or something. " Dick admitting with a sigh, feeling sheepish for having probably misread the signs.

"Hate? Master Dick, I can assure you that he does not hate you. In fact, he seems more comfortable when you are around. Perhaps it would be good for the both of you to be around someone your own age." And there was that knowing Alfred smile. The one that said he knew best, but knew that you hadn't quite caught on yet.

"Really?" Dick looked back into the living room at Joseph, who once again looked a lot younger, curled into the arm of the sofa as if he was making himself smaller while he sipped at his tea. "Maybe I should see if he wants to do something together?"

"I think that would be a very kind thing to do." Alfred smiled, looking almost proud of the dark haired boy. Dick Grayson had come a long way in the few years he had lived at the manor. Alfred saw him like a son, or grandchild, even though the boy was only a ward and not officially an adopted member of the family.

Dick finished the rest of his pancakes quickly, following Joseph's lead in washing off his plate himself and loading the dishwasher quickly so Alfred didn't have time to insist that it was his job. Before making his way into the living room and sitting on the opposite side of the sofa.

"Do you like the tea? It's Alfred's specialty, somehow he doesn't make it too sweet that it's sickly."

Blinking in surprise that Dick had come over to talk to him, Joseph just nodded his head and smiled while looking over to the kitchen, where Alfred was still working.

Dick had to remind himself that maybe Joseph was just shy, or might have a sore throat for Alfred to have given him honey and lemon, so not to be offended by the silent treatment. "So, uh. Do you play video Games? I have some two player racing and fighting games for the playstation." It was something they could do together that didn't need talking, and Dick didn't have friends over very often to play with him.

Joseph's wide green eyes seemed to brighten at the mention of playing games, quickly nodding his head and turning off the Walkman he'd still been listening to through one side of his headphones.

With a big grin Dick started the set it up. "Okay, since you're the guest you get to choose." Connecting the second controller he held up two case for him to pick from; street fighter or a formula one racing game. Joseph looked between them before pointing at the racing game, taking another drink of his tea before putting it off to the side so he could focus on playing.

Neither of them expected the game to become a competition, but when their first race ended with only a second between them, Joseph's competitive side came out. He might not have been talking, but his whole body language changed, pulling faces and losing himself in the game. When he would lose a match he'd pause and look at Dick from the corner of his eye, as if he was expecting to have his nose rubbed in the fact he lost, but all he got with Dick whooping and throwing his hands in the air in celebration.

They lost count of how many tournaments they played, but with a close score, Dick only just pulling into the lead, they put down the controllers for a break. "Okay, I thought I'd have an advantage because it was my game. But you are way too good at this."

Joseph beamed before grabbing his sketchbook and flicking to the last page to scribble something down for Dick to read.

 _I play games like this with my brother_

"You have a brother?" Dick should really do some research on who this boy was. He felt like he recognised his mother when she'd been here, and the name Wilson rang a bell, but he'd been too busy to look up why that was yet.

With a nod, the blond held up one finger, before pointing upwards.

"One older Brother?" It felt like Dick was playing charades with him but he didn't want to make a joke of it incase he accidentally offended him. Luckily he got a nodded confirmation that he got it right.

To his surprise Joseph flicked through his sketchbook until he found what he was looking for, turning it to show Dick the sketch he'd done of his brother, the name 'Grant Wilson' neatly written at the top, and in the corner was a date.

"Whoa. You drew That?" He might not know how accurate the picture was, but the drawing was pretty realistic, not photo realistic, but very clear and not caricatured, especially considering that the boy was younger than him. And judging by Joseph's face, he was proud of himself for it too.

"How old _are_ you anyway? You look younger than me." Though the boys height, bright curly hair and big expressive eyes could just make him look younger than he was.

Holding up both hand he silently indicated that he was ten years old.

"Ten? So I'm only two years older than you then." Dick wasn't sure how old he was expecting the boy to be, sometimes he seemed so young, and other times he seemed like he'd grown up too fast. Of course, Dick knew all about having to grew up too quickly because life decided to deal you a bad hand.

Joseph seemed to think for a moment, then tapped the paper where he'd written the word brother, before tilting his head and point back at Dick.

"Me? No. I was an only child." He didn't want to talk about his parents, but the fact he didn't have any siblings didn't bother him. "But I grew up in a circus family. So it was like having lots of family around all the time, even if we weren't related."

Apparently Joseph had done his own research on where he was coming to stay or who he'd be staying with, since he nodded like the information wasn't exactly new to him.

"You don't talk much do you? Do you have a sore throat?" Dick was polite, but his curiosity could only be held back for so long before it came bubbling out out him. He was too curious for his own good sometimes, it was something he'd been pulled up on most of his life.

He regretted the words almost as soon as they escaped him, because Joseph suddenly looked like a kicked puppy, and Dick panicked for a moment thinking that he'd made the boy cry. But Joseph didn't cry, just averted his eyes while he wrote on the back page of his book again.

 _I've lost my voice_

Dick didn't know how to respond to that. Losing your voice wasn't a big deal, it would come back in time, but Joseph was reacting as if it was the worst thing in the world. He didn't understand. "Hey, it's okay. I'm sure it'll come back."

That apparently was the wrong thing to say. Because Joseph quickly scribbled a note saying he was going to lie down upstairs, which Dick barely had time to read before the blond rushed upstairs to shut himself into his room once again.

For a while Dick just stared towards the stairs wondering what all that was about. They'd made a lot of progress just now, actually had a conversation and spent time together, he just hoped that he hadn't blown his chance for them to be friends.


	3. Why is Joseph so quiet?

Dick had taken the opportunity of Joseph shutting himself into his room again to slip off down to the cave and do a little detective work of his own.

Bruce hadn't been seen all day, which meant Dick was hoping he was either at Wayne Enterprises, and not working in the cave.

The lights flickering on as he slipped through the secret entrance was a good sign that it was empty. He hadn't had many reasons to come down here on his own. Usually, he and Bruce would be working on a lead together, or at least Alfred was there to mediate and lead a helpful hand.

The batcomputer booted into life as he approached it and sat down, flickering up to the database read for input. The first thing he did was search for mention of Joseph Wilson. The newest document was a medical report and hospital discharge sheet from the day before Joseph arrived at the manor.

At first, there was nothing serious, normal vital signs, a slight loss of weight, but then things took a turn. Signs of PTSD, becoming reserved and resisting help or therapy, loss of appetite and refusal to talk to people for any length of time. All things Dick had noticed but assumed the boy was just shy or felt out of place here.

And then came the news he wasn't expecting and made his blood run cold. Vocal cords 85% severed, very low chance of healing enough to become operational again. Dick felt this stomach drop as he remembered what Joseph has written down.

I've lost my voice

Joseph had meant it literally. He'd lost his voice, and it was never coming back. The ten year old boy, with his wide sea green eyes and a bright smile the rare times Dick had seen it, had been rendered completely mute. And he'd probably made it ten times worse when he said it didn't matter because he didn't know. Dick Grayson felt like shit, and he couldn't even apologize because a normal person wouldn't have been able to see medical record this easily.

He didn't know how long he sat there, staring blankly at the screen while he tried to process how hard it must be for their guest, not able to talk to them or tell anyone what he's going through without writing it down for them.

"I had assumed Master Bruce had filled you in on Joseph's condition." Alfred's voice was soft, but it still made Dick jump in the silence of the cave. Either he'd made no noise approaching, or Dick had been so caught up in his thought that he'd let himself be caught off guard.

"You know how he is. He probably assumed you'd tell me." Dick remarked, somewhat bitterly, he often got left out of the loop that way, which is why he had to ask obvious questions and make sure he'd been told everything he needed to know. Robin was clearly given instructions and direction, but plain old Dick Grayson sometimes got left behind. This time though he was more than a little annoyed at Bruce. "Didn't he think I deserved to know about this!"

"I'm sure his intentions were good." Though even Alfred seemed annoyed now he knew that the young ward had been left in the dark about their guest. "Joseph is still in recovery from the surgery on his throat, and his mother wanted us to keep an eye on him."

Dick sighed, looking back at the medical report and diagnosis. PTSD wasn't easy at any age, and he still didn't know why Joseph needed surgery on his throat in the first place. But he knew first hand how hard trauma hit when you're that young he was even younger than Joseph when he developed PTSD.

"We were planning to offer and help him learn sign language tomorrow. His mother said he knew a little, but was reluctant to let her teach him. Bruce was hoping that the two of you might have more luck, with you being closer to his age group." Alfred explained, placing a comforting hand on the young wards shoulder.

"Is there anything I can do to help? I think I messed up bit time Al…. I didn't know." He was cursing himself for not being more gentle with him, but he couldn't have known, Bruce should have told him about it so he didn't make a fool out of himself or stress Joseph out even more.

"I think the best thing you can do for him, is just be his friend. He's been through so much, he could use someone to spend time with. Someone that he doesn't feel like are pitying him." There was a knowing tone in Alfred's voice, heavily hinting not to let the fact Dick now knew affect how he treated the boy.

"How did it happen? For there to be trauma like that, I doubt it was just a medical condition." Dick was curious but smart, he knew there was still a lot to this story he didn't know, and he would do research to find out, but it would be easier if Alfred would tell him what he needed to know.

"That is not my place to say, And it's not yours to dig up either." Alfred voice held authority, not outright telling Dick to stay away, but not needing to. "Master Bruce might disagree, but for now I think it best for you not to look further into it."

It was obvious that Alfred knew something important, and Dick was tempted to fight him on it, but honestly, he was still too shaken by what he'd learned about Joseph. When they'd finally seemed to get along, he seemed like such a nice happy kid, but apparently, there was a lot of bad things happening inside his head.

"Okay, I'll stay in the dark for now. But I'll be having words with Bruce when he gets back." They needed a little chat to get on the same page. If they wanted him to be the one getting through to Joseph, then he needed to know what they expected of him and how they were going to help him.

"Very well Master Dick." Alfred smiled, giving a nod of approval, trusting Dick not to look further into it if he said he wouldn't. "Perhaps it would be best for us to return upstairs until then."

Giving a heavy sigh, Dick could read between the lines of Alfred's polite way of telling him to get out of the cave.

He didn't even pay attention to the sounds of the computer powering down, or the lights flickering off behind them as they climbed the stairs back to the manor, being careful as they exited in case Joseph was around to see them stepping out of the grandfather clock.

Without another word, Dick headed upstairs to his room to think about things. He could try and help Joseph with his PTSD, but he couldn't do that if he'd messed up by commenting about his lost voice.

After a few minutes of feeling sorry for himself, he had an idea of how to make it up to him.

Which is what lead to him knocking on Joseph's door five minutes later, calling out that it was only him. There was the sound of someone moving around inside for a moment, before Joseph opened the door with a questioning look, still adjusting the blue scarf that he'd clearly just put on, probably to hide the bandage he probably had to wear around his neck.

"I was looking through some of my old stuff, and I thought you could probably use this.." He picked up the easel he'd carried over to show the blond. "Bruce bought it for a school art project I had to do a few years back, but I never really used it. I figured since you liked art you might get some use out of it while you're staying here?"

Joseph's eyes seemed to light up at the gesture, nodding while opening the door wider for Dick to bring it in.

The Room didn't have much in it, but Joseph had unpacked some of his things to make it feel more like his own space. There were a couple of drawings and posters on the walls, a light purple blanket on the bed, and a small photo frame on the bedside table that looked like someone had ripped someone out of the photo inside of it. His eyes landed on a small set of paints on top of one of the cases and he smiled. "I have some more paints if you needed them."

Joseph just smiled and reached for his sketchpad and pencil to write ' _Thank you_ '. He didn't seem to be upset with him, much to Dick's relief. And he seemed a bit more relaxed in his bedroom than he did downstairs.

"You know, Bruce has been teaching me sign language. Maybe we could help you so you won't need to write everything down?" Maybe he was being a bit bold, but he felt like he needed to offer now, it might be better to casually ask rather than Bruce sitting down and trying to get Joseph to accept.

The answer he got came in the form of a shrug while Joseph hugged the sketchbook to his chest and looked down.

"Do you know any sign language?" Dick asked carefully, not wanting to push the subject, but still appearing more curious than forceful.

Joseph held up a hand with the thumb and forefinger about an inch apart, signing that he only knew a little.

"You don't have to learn if you don't want to, but I'd be happy to help if you wanted me to. For now, though, I hope you enjoy the easel." Dick didn't want to outstay his welcome or make things more awkward than they needed to be. This room was Joseph's place to feel safe, he didn't want to intrude. "I'll be in my room if you need me."

He got halfway to the door before he felt a hand on his shoulder urging him to turn back. Joseph was standing there, looking a little awkward, before raising his hand to his chin and signing ' _ **Thank you**_ '.

Dick nodded in acknowledgment, giving a bright smile back at him as Joseph removed his hand and turned to walk back to the easel, getting some paints out ready to use it.

He felt a lot better when he returned to his own room to chill until Bruce got home. They really needed to have a talk.


End file.
